


Ni no Kuni: The Affects of Death and Grief

by Wherever_Girl



Category: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Video Game)
Genre: Essay, Gen, Personal thoughts, theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29345988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherever_Girl/pseuds/Wherever_Girl
Summary: Ni no Kuni, in a subtle way, makes you think about how loss takes a different toll on everyone; yet at the same time, what you do with the life you have still matters to those around you.
Kudos: 5





	Ni no Kuni: The Affects of Death and Grief

**Author's Note:**

> [[Do not copy/repost on another site. That's all I'm saying.]]

Since the year 2019, death seemed to come up way too much for me (not that I’m the only one who feels this way). Whether it’s working at a retirement home where a resident passed away, hearing about someone’s friend died, or my own cat having reached the end of her life span, the subject of dying felt like a fucking pop-up ad that wouldn’t go away. After 2020 happened and 2021 has just begun, it feels like that one annoying Youtube ad that you know is going to come up and can’t skip.

Of course, death is part of life, and I began to think about all the movies, TV shows and videogames that use this concept. While going down the list in my head, _Ni no Kuni_ came up, and I came to realize that the game explores loss and its effects in more depth than I realized.

And so, I decided to share my thoughts here. (Spoilers lie ahead).

**_How grief affects people in different ways (Missing Pieces of Hearts)_ **

Throughout the game, you come across other characters who have a ‘missing piece of heart’, aptly described as being ‘Heart Broken’; the main ones affected happen to be kingdom rulers, and it spread to most of the other citizens, or causes tension for others:

- _Enthusiasm:_ When you’re down in the dumps, you don’t feel like doing anything, and just want to stay in bed or mope about. The first one with Heart Break happens to be a guard in front of Ding Dong Dell, who no doubt had been influenced when King Tom-Tildrum had lost his enthusiasm and did not want to attend to any of his duties--- even when his wand was taken by his rival, Hickory Dock.

- _Kindness:_ There are cases when grief causes you to lash out at others. This is the case with Rusty Cartwright; his daughter got sick, he got worried and began fighting with his wife, Betty; and as a result he spent all his time at his auto-garage. Even when Betty showed him kindness, he still reacted bitterly to her and everyone else. The tension really took a toll on their daughter, Myrtle… (see next paragraph)

- _Courage:_ When tragedy strikes, sometimes you’re afraid to get out and do anything, in fear that bad things will happen. Esther was robbed of her courage, but unlike other heartbreak-cases, she had her heart closed; this was the result of how Myrtle was affected by her father’s lack of kindness. She felt anxious about going outside to the point where she said she felt sick, and just thinking about it made her uneasy.

 _-Restraint:_ Loss often makes us try to fill the void with pointless things. This works in two cases in the game: Queen Lowlah (who can’t stop eating her favorite food and stays in bed), and Swaine (who steals things, often just for the heck of it). I personally headcannon that Swaine’s heartbreak was the result of his backstory, considering he’s not one to show his feelings he would probably be the type to try to overshadow his emotions with nabbing pointless objects. Since his Nightmare was the largest, his heartbreak was no doubt going on for a while, getting worse when he heard that his brother was in trouble.

- _Belief:_ This is a big one; many people end up losing faith in something when times get dark. For Marcassin, he lost his belief in himself, and people in general; he hid behind a mask, doubted himself as being both a Great Sage and Emperor, thought he was too ugly to look at, and didn’t do anything when the Sky Pirates stole from the palace. An idea my boyfriend shared was that Marcassin’s heartbreak occurred sometime after his brother ran away and their father died, as Shadar perhaps killed the former Emperor to cause a domino-effect.

- _Confidence:_ When something bad happens to you, it can also affect your self-esteem. The dragon, Tengri, is unable to fly because he senses his soulmate, Danny, lost his confidence after he had injured his leg, and couldn’t run as fast as he used to in track.

- _Love:_ You would think this would only be an issue for break-ups, but no, grief can also cause you to give up on love because it would feel like a waste. Queen Khulan felt this way when Shadar broke the hearts of all her citizens, causing them all to attack one another and destroy the city; her heartbreak is a little more interesting, as she becomes the leader of a different village, and convinces everyone that being heartbroken is the only way to thrive; in a way, I believe her part serves as an analogy as someone purposely hurting others because they gave up on being loved.

- _Ambition:_ This one is obvious; when things go wrong, you just want to give up on everything--- hopes, dreams, life. Oliver’s best friend, Phil, ends up losing his ambition after the death of Allie; he feels guilt as he had talked Oliver into test-driving the car he had built.

**_Attachment to Objects (The Three Orbs of Mornstar)_ **

This part is just based on my own thinking.

When we grieve, we tend to cling to certain items that remind us of who or what we have lost. We see this during the quest to find the three stones for the wand, Mornstar, as we face each guardian of the stone:

The journey to the Vault of Tears goes two ways. One is with the story about Prince Ali and Yasmina; the prince had transformed into a frog to defeat a giant snake, but was unable to transform back and left in despair and feeling he would never see the love of his life again. The second is with Aapep, who was in charge of the stone and went mad while keeping it, ending up placing a curse on the temple that caused everyone who entered to turn into frogs until his defeat; perhaps this was an influence on Prince Ali’s tragic backstory.

With the Ghost Pirates, they were trusted with the stone, with Cap’n Crossbones treating it like it was a sacred treasure. As it turns out, the Wizard King had trusted it in his care, and the pirates took an oath to protect it even in death, never moving on until Cap’n Crossbones realized it was time to pass it on and finally rest in peace.

Finally with Cerboreas, deep in the Glittering Grotto, he admits that the stone drove him insane the longer he kept it, being one of few beasts in the game to speak to the group (without the use of the Nature’s Tongue spell). Also in the caves, we had a glimpse of Alicia and the old Emperor from the past, as they were searching for something—later turning out to be the soul-snare where Alicia kept her memories, I believe.

Each search for the stone serves as an analogy; it is okay to hold on to something of sentimental value, but it can turn into an unhealthy obsession. Objects can remind you of someone or something, but it’s not the memory or the person themselves. A lot of us need to accept that.

**_Facing Facts Is Difficult… (The Fight with Vilehart)_ **

During the [first] fight with Vilehart, you end up obtaining the soul-snare and see all of Alicia’s memories, causing Oliver to realize that his mother is gone and there’s no bringing her back. Afterwards, he pretty much goes into a coma, leaving his companions in despair and forced to face Vilehart a second time alone (at the start).

Coming to terms with death is a bitch. We all know that. Sometimes, we just want to lie down and die, feeling like there’s no point in going on. That sort of attitude quickly spreads to those closest to us, and (much like Swaine, Esther, and Drippy) they have no idea what to do, and might even feel like they have to fight our despair for us, but that doesn’t always go well.

**_…But You Should Still Carry On (Pea’s Support)_ **

During Oliver’s coma, he has a dream where he is back in his room mourning, like at the start in the game. He is visited by the mysterious girl, Pea, who shows him the impact he had on others--- even though he was going through grief himself, he went on a quest to help mend broken hearts of others. He then wakes up and helps Swaine and Esther defeat Vilehart once and for all.

There is a lesson here. No matter how much grief you have to deal with, what you do still matters to someone. You can either let your despair consume you and hurt your friends, or you can fight it and be a good person--- use the heartbreak you have dealt with in the past to give sympathy to others, and help them back on their feet.

**_Your Depression Is Not Your Identity (The Defeat of Shadar/Lucien’s Past)_ **

It is revealed that Shadar and Oliver are soulmates; during the final battle with the Dark Djinn, he reveals that if he dies, Oliver dies as well. At the end of the battle, Oliver sees Shadar’s memories, learning he was once a young warrior who refused to raid a village and saved a child (Alicia); he was punished for defying orders and was beaten into a somewhat crippled state, and he gave himself over to despair, feeling like there was no hope in the world. As Shadar and Oliver stand face-to-face on the way to the afterlife, Shadar severs their soul-link so the boy can live, claiming Oliver did what he could not--- help others.

Someone on Youtube once said that Shadar in the game represented Oliver’s grief. It makes a lot of sense, especially when--- once you’ve conquered your sorrow--- it no longer is a part of you. There’s more to you than the pain you’ve endured… you just need to see past it. (Similar to how you have to clear the fog in order to get through the Miasma Marshes, ne?).

**_It’s Not The End of the World, Don’t Destroy it (The White Witch/Pea’s True Identity)_ **

After the defeat of Shadar, everyone prepares for celebration; however a mysterious spell drifts over the three main kingdoms, causing the rulers (minus Marcassin who joins your group) and citizens to… pretty much become zombies. Finding Pea in Motorville, the group brings her back to the other world where she reveals her special skill to ‘sankify’ *sanctify* corrupted crystals. After each crystal is purged, you see a glimpse of the White Witch’s past, learning she and Pea are one in the same; in the past, she lost her father, The Wizard King, at a very young age, and her kingdom was ruled by a corrupt council who eventually tricked her into unleashing a spell that resulted in everyone turning into zombies and killing each other. Overcome with guilt and despair, the White Witch made illusions of the old council and sought to destroy the world in order to rebuild it anew.

The same Youtube reviewer from before commented that the White Witch arc felt pointless, as she didn’t interfere much in the game like Shadar did. At first I could understand his point… until a lot of shit went down in the past few years and I realized her arc _does_ fit the game’s concept in some way.

The White Witch, or Cassiopeia as she’s actually called, pretty much shut herself away; she banished Pea, who represented her childlike faith, and created a council in her mind that almost took over her mental state completely. She, quite literately, wanted to see the world burn because of her grief.

There are people like that. People who shut out the world, force away hope, and listen to voices in their heads because they can’t deal with reality, and see nothing good in the world.

Pea’s ability to ‘sanctify’ comes from how faith beats negativity--- even if things seem dark, holding on to it is all you can do, and use it to keep up the fight when things get tough.

**_Conclusion_ **

We see a lot in media how death affects a person… but I believe that Ni no Kuni points out how people grieve differently. How heartbreak makes others act in different ways, and that you can either be the villain who allows it to consume you, or be the hero that conquers it and live their lives.

At the end of the game, Oliver realizes his life is a gift, and he should cherish it.

Shouldn’t we all?


End file.
